A Knack for Observation
by Fearthe1975
Summary: Just a fluff piece between Aomine and Kuroko. I needed some sweetness in this angst filled ship.


It had been a while since they had spent any time together outside of the court.

Usually their personalities clashed if they weren't playing basketball but they had started to work on it.  
It seemed mutual between them that they wanted to get closer on a different level.

The plans they made were nothing special.  
One invited the other over and from there, they'd figure it out.

"Oi Tetsu, got anything to eat?"

He spoke without looking at Kuroko, his eyes glued to the screen before him. It had taken them at least half an hour to decide what to do and the decision came to some video games.  
Kuroko had grown tired of losing, though, so Aomine took over and started in on story mode.

"Don't strain too hard, Aomine-kun, you'll get a headache."

He was referring to the way the other leaned himself on his knees while playing, his concentration completely zoned in on the task at hand. His eyes stayed wide open, no time to blink as he chewed on the side of his lip and his eyebrows furrowed when he missed a move or couldn't defend. His left foot would tap rhythmically while his impatience grew during loading sequences and he'd click his tongue and whistle through his teeth every time he pulled off something nice.  
These were little things that the average person wouldn't care to pick up on, but Kuroko lived for it. Every small movement, sound, or breath was something he caught onto so quickly when it came to Aomine.

He had always been watching him.  
Hopelessly devoted to the one he once called his light.

Finally responding to the other's wishes from moments earlier, Kuroko moved himself from his place on the couch and into the kitchen to find something for them to snack on.

"HELL YEAH! THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"

Peering around the corner to see what had happened, he had to stifle his chuckle at how simple his partner was. Aomine had leveled up and his face lit up like he just scored against a strong opponent during a game. The creases in his forehead from heavy concentration had eased up and his eyes were big and bright. The slim line that had been his mouth was now stretched wide across his face, teeth gleaming in pride of his accomplishment. His back was straight, elbows no longer digging into his legs and his arm even extended into the air with a burst of energy.  
Kuroko could pick up on all of it.  
The way his muscles moved under his skin as he stretched, and the way he'd lick his bottom lip when he was really getting in the groove of things and feeling good.

Grabbing a bag of chips he had laying around in his cabinet, he returned to his rightful place next to Aomine. Opening the bag, he sat it between them and watched the way Aomine moved quickly to dive in with his left hand while his right continued to press buttons. His eyes didn't even move from the screen, his animal instincts kicking in to tell him where the food was. He greedily stuffed his mouth full so he could free his hand up, fingers now glistening with grease that Kuroko was not going to allow on his controller.

With lightning reflexes, that small pale hand grabbed hold of Aomine's wrist to prevent him from touching the controller. The quick action led his player in the game to be killed. Suddenly the calm composure that had overcome him was wiped away and Kuroko could feel the anger radiating from him. He turned to face the bluenette, eyes narrowed and eyebrows scrunched together in frustration.

"TETSU! What the hell!?"  
"Your hand is dirty, Aomine-kun. Please clean it off before you play anymore."  
"Wha? How the hell do you expect me to eat and play, then!? Just clean the controller when I'm done!"

Kuroko stayed quiet then and simply observed the one before him.  
He took in everything that was Aomine in those moments.  
He took in the way he was becoming confused with the silence and how the confusion turned to embarrassment the longer he was stared at. He took in how the other paused the game and placed the controller down gently, as to not cause harm to something that wasn't his. He watched as Aomine took to rubbing the back of his neck to try and ease the pressure suddenly put on him; and how he could no longer make eye contact but instead took to eating more of the chips to distract himself.

"Ya know, you always stare for way too long Tetsu."

But Aomine knew that. He knew how the other would watch him. He knew how he took in every little detail that he could and it was the thing that had him so absolutely enthralled by the smaller boy.  
But what Kuroko didn't seem to see was that Aomine watched him, as well. That while Kuroko observed, he was also being observed.

Aomine found he wanted to see the little things that Kuroko only showed to him, in moments just like this.

Taking the moment to act quickly so the other couldn't stop him or say anything, he turned his body to face Kuroko and leaned himself down so their faces were at the same level and the distance between them was shortened to almost nothing. The tips of their noses brushed, the bag of chips crunching under Aomine's weight as he leaned himself over.

He watched then as the flat expression he was so used to, crumbled. Pale cheeks now shone brightly with pink and it was obvious that Aomine had caught him off guard. He paid close attention to Kuroko's mouth and how his lips stayed slightly parted so he could breathe, his arms moving and his hands coming to rest on Aomine's chest, applying just the slightest bit of pressure against him.

"Aomine-kun.."

There was a light tremble in his voice that Aomine picked up on and it only served to fuel him further. Grinning like a mad man, he raised a hand and let his palm craddle the left side of Kuroko's face, thumb tracing just under those soft looking pink lips.

"Ya know Tetsu, you're not the only one that pays attention to things."

In their time together, Aomine had picked up on things that Kuroko wouldn't say outright. He figured out that there were things the blue haired boy wanted that he couldn't speak up about.

One of those things was a kiss.

Every time he wanted a kiss from Aomine, he would get quiet. It wouldn't matter what they were doing or even where they were. He'd stop talking and he would just watch. Being thick skulled as he was, Aomine didn't get it at first, but after a while, he caught on to the fact that Kuroko would frequently be looking at his mouth. It was like he was asking for a kiss with just his eyes but he probably thought Aomine wouldn't catch on.

Being able to prove his unstoppable shadow wrong felt amazing.

Feeling he had teased the other enough, he closed the distance between them to press his lips firmly against Kuroko's. They were soft, and slightly chapped. It was a quick kiss that tasted like salt&vinegar but it left the bluenette in the exact state Aomine was aiming for as he pulled away and put a bit of distance back between them.  
Kuroko's arms had lost strength from the contact and his hands fell down to his lap, his eyes now half lidded and cheeks still shining brightly. Lips remained just slightly ajar and his gaze was clouded over. A proud grin stretched it's way onto Aomine's face and he turned back to the television.

"Now come here and watch me kick some ass."

Moving the bag of chips out of the way, he yanked Kuroko over to him so their sides were pressed together. He ruffled that soft blue hair and picked the controller back up, attention being swept back into the game.

Meanwhile Kuroko just sat, dazed and slightly bewildered at how the other caught on to something he thought he had hid so well. While the kiss had surprised him and had his heart in his throat, he was more caught off guard by the fact that Aomine had been paying such close attention to him. In all the time they had been together, he never realized that as much as he watched Aomine, he was also being watched _by_ Aomine.

With the realization dawning on him, he found himself leaning against the other, a small smile pulling at his lips.

"Aomine-kun is really unfair."

Unfair as he was, Kuroko found he didn't really mind.  
Just by being observant, they had gotten that much closer to each other.


End file.
